Downtown is buried treasure

A funny thing happened last Thursday while I was standing on North Street in Kingston talking to an old friend. A gangly fellow wearing tattered short pants, a weather-beaten shirt and no shoes walked up to me, apparently very excited.

"Mi can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "How mi so lucky?" He held out something for me to look at. It appeared to be an old coin, mostly covered with dirt. The man, known around town simply as 'Natty', had, it seems, been roaming the streets when he stumbled upon the coin.

THE NEGLECTED

He told me it was an ancient coin that could perhaps be worth a lot of money. Not wanting to burst his bubble, I told him that he might be right and that he should keep the coin safe until he could have someone qualified look at it. Natty beamed and ran off.

A few minutes later he returned, more joyful than before. He had washed the coin and now he could make out the inscription '1807' on it, as well as what looked like part of a face. I patted him on the back and told him he might actually have found something special.

He grinned and explained that the coin had apparently been resting at the base of an old road sign for years. Nobody before him, it seems, bothered to pick it up and take a closer look at it because, when covered in dirt, it looked a lot like a present-day 25¢ coin, which is hardly exciting to anyone, especially these days.

Natty carefully deposited the coin into the pocket of his short pants and vowed to have it authenticated and valued in the coming week. "What nuff man walk over and think is trash going to turn into my treasure now!" He was smiling broadly as he ran off again.

This short episode could be used as a metaphor for what's happening downtown, on a much grander scale. Buildings that had been abandoned and left neglected for years are now becoming coveted real estate, as the area enjoys a resurgence of commercial interest and activity. It really is remarkable. It's as if someone took the place up and dusted it off. Now it seems like every few weeks a new restaurant, electronics or clothing store opens downtown in buildings that, not long ago, seemed ready to be condemned.

People of my generation never actually experienced this vibrancy downtown before. We've heard stories of how it once was, sure, but for us, downtown has mostly been synonymous with dilapidated buildings, grimy streets, crime and disorder. Where older folks might think of cargo ships and swinging nightclubs when they think of the downtown they remember, younger people would more readily think of Dudus, Zeeks and rotting structures.

NEW LIFE

Walking around the area now and seeing freshly painted storefronts, newly stocked shops and feeling the energy of a town on an upswing is no minor thrill. We're more accustomed to things going in the other direction, so this is a welcome anomaly.

As hopeful as we are, though, that this rise will continue and things will keep getting better downtown, there is reason for us to be cautious with our optimism. Nobody wants to rain on this parade, but over the years we've seen far too many good ideas go bad. We've witnessed countless projects ruined by corruption and mismanagement, and suffered the consequences of unkept promises and selfish pursuits. We just need some assurance that every effort will be put into ensuring that all gains made this time, are maintained.

There's already debate over the true implication of these new stores opening downtown. Is it indicative of a flourishing economic zone? Or is it just that more people are making a last-ditch effort to stay afloat in an economy too short on jobs, thereby creating a 'more-sellers-than-buyers' scenario that will ultimately and inevitably implode?

There's certainly a lot to think about. However, like Natty with his treasured coin, we remain positive as we eagerly await validation from those with the power to provide it.

Robert Lalah is assistant editor - features, and author of the Tuesday series, 'Roving with Lalah'. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com.